I have used the Simms studs and Hardbite cleats for several years with pretty good satisfaction. After a few trip to the lake Ontario tribs in noticed that some were pretty worn and some were missing. I decided to try the Alumibite cleats replacing the HardBites that were missing. I had 7 Alumibites mixed in with the old cleats on the bottoms of each of my Simms Boa boots (they are AWESOME fyi). First stop was Oswego and they did not perform well on the large and slate like rock bottom of the upper part of the river. I found it hard to get a good grip in some of the swifter moving sections I was wading. The problem was two fold. The Alumabite cleats are much thicker then either the Hardbite or the studs, so the studs had a hard time making contact and gripping the rock surface. I think the studs are the ticket for this type of surface.
On to the Salmon river and the cleats worked very well on the large and small boulders and rocks in the upper sections of the river. Even in a high flow I had solid footing with the Alumibites in concert with the other Simms cleats/studs. Then I fished for 2 days at Oak Orchard in the lower reaches of this short and slow moving river. The Cleats had no problems on the softer bottom or running down a rocky bank after several huge brown trout.
Overall they worked very well in a partial pattern w the Hardbites and studs. I do not recommend them for slate or other long, sick rock bottoms however, on every other surface I think they will perform very well. I like to mix studs and cleats and I think that Simms should have a stud with the same depth to match the Alumibites thickness to accommodate those that like to mix and match. ( I always put a bit of thread locker on the screws when I install them into the bottoms of my boots so they are less likely to come off in the stream)

Pros: Easy to install, Thick cleat, should have long wear, Gripped great on most serfaces

Cons: Much thicker then other Simms cleats giveing uneven surface contact, A bit pricey, Not great for slate type surfaces

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